Sports

Kevin Love Sweepstakes Now Possibly Involves The Boston Celtics

The likelihood of the Minnesota Timberwolves finishing next season with Kevin Love on their roster is slim.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors have made it clear they are interested in picking up Love via trade. However, it is ultimately up to Minnesota to decide which team makes the best offer for the power forward.

Although out of the running, a couple of other teams are looking to benefit from a Kevin Love trade and act as a third party.

The Boston Celtics are one of those teams. The Celtics were interested in seeing Kevin Love dressed in green next season. Unfortunately for the Celtics, they do not have the right pieces to interest the Timberwolves.

Now, Boston wants to act as a third team in a trade for Kevin Love in order to add a player who would immediately impact and contribute upon arrival in Boston. Their involvement may include using some of their future draft picks. Boston potentially has three first round picks in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Minnesota stated their desire to part ways with point guard J.J. Barea and shooting guard Kevin Martin as part of a Love trade. Barea’s current contract will pay him $4.5 million next season and then expire. Martin has three years left on his contract worth $25 million total. Unloading these two contracts would free up cap space for the future.

Of the two, Martin would make the biggest contribution if added to a team. Martin averaged 19.1 points per game and shot 38 percent from the three-point line.

Rumors also state the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets would also like to be the third team involved in the trade. If included, Philadelphia would trade away Thaddeus Young. Denver, who already made an offer to the Timberwolves for Love, would most likely use the players they already tried to trade to Minnesota.

Whichever team receives Love will be the big winner overall. Yet the Celtics can be a winner in a Kevin Love trade as well.